Hearing aid detection

• US 9,065,929 B2
• Filed: 08/02/2011
• Issued: 06/23/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Chen, Shaohai, Tam, Ching-Yu John
• Primary Examiner(s): Goins, Davetta W
• Assistant Examiner(s): SELLERS, DANIEL R
• Application Number:
  US13/196,770
• Publication Number:
  US 20130034234A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,421 Days
• Field of Search: 381/58, 381/312, 381/23.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/6016 in the receiver circuit
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72478 for hearing-impaired users
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/12 including a sensor for measuring a physical value, e.g. temperature or motion
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/43 Electronic input selection or mixing based on input signal analysis, e.g. mixing or selection between microphone and telecoil or between microphones with different directivity characteristics H04R25/407 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/554 using a wireless connection, e.g. between microphone and amplifier or using Tcoils

Abstract

A hearing aid compatible portable electronic audio device is configured to automatically determine whether or not the device is being used by a hearing impaired user who is wearing a hearing aid, and select a mode of operation based on this determination. The device includes a proximity sensor and a magnetic field sensor. The proximity sensor is used to detect a change in distance of the device to the user'"'"'s ear. The magnetic field sensor is used to detect a change in magnetic field caused by the device moving relative to the hearing aid. The device selects between a normal audio mode of operation and a hearing aid compatible mode of operation based on both the change in detected distance and the change in detected magnetic field. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.

Claims

1. A portable audio device suitable for use by a user wearing a hearing aid, comprising:

a proximity sensor to detect a measure of distance of the device to an external object;

a magnetic field sensor to detect a measure of external magnetic field;

data processing circuitry coupled to the proximity sensor and the magnetic field sensor to compute a change in the distance of the external object and a change in the external magnetic field, and select between a normal audio mode of operation and a hearing aid compatible mode of operation, based on the computed changes in distance and magnetic field;

audio processing circuitry having storage in which a plurality of audio application programs including a telephony application and a media file player application are stored, and a processor to execute any one of the audio application programs so as to generate an audio output signal being one of a downlink communications signal for a call, a streaming audio signal from a remote server, or locally stored digital audio being played back, wherein the audio processing circuitry is to process the audio output signal according to the selected mode of operation,

and wherein the data processing circuitry is to detect

     1) a decrease in distance of the device to the external object, and

     2) an increase in the external magnetic field, over the same time interval, and then select the hearing aid compatible mode in response to both the detected decrease in distance and the detected increase in magnetic field occurring over the same time interval; and

a speaker coupled to receive the processed audio output signal.

2. The portable audio device of claim 1, further comprising:

a telecoil coupled to receive the processed audio signal.

3. The portable audio device of claim 1, wherein in the normal audio mode different audio equalization parameters are applied to process the audio output signal by the audio processing circuitry than in the hearing aid compatible mode.

4. The portable audio device of claim 1, wherein the data processing circuitry computes the changes in the distance in the external magnetic field based on passing signals of the proximity sensor and the magnetic field sensor through low pass filters having cut off frequencies such that changes in the external magnetic field and in the distance that occur at frequencies greater than twenty (20) hertz are ignored.

5. The portable audio device of claim 1, wherein the data processing circuitry is to detect an increase in distance of the device to an external object, the data processing circuitry to select the normal audio mode in response to the detected increase in distance.

6. The portable audio device of claim 5, wherein when the data processing circuitry detects a decrease in magnetic field simultaneous with the detected increase in distance, the data processing circuitry is to select the normal audio mode in response to both the detected decrease in magnetic field and the detected increase in distance.

7. The portable audio device of claim 6, further comprising a position orientation or movement (POM) sensor, wherein the data processing circuitry is to monitor data from the POM sensor, over the same time interval in which the decrease in magnetic field and increase in distance are detected, to detect that the device has changed orientation, and to select the normal audio mode in response to the detected orientation change.

8. The portable audio device of claim 1, wherein the speaker is a receiver integrated in a mobile phone handset housing and wherein the proximity sensor is positioned next to the speaker and aimed in the same direction as the speaker.

9. The portable audio device of claim 1, further comprising a position orientation or movement (POM) sensor, wherein the data processing circuitry is to monitor data from the POM sensor, over the same time interval in which the increase in magnetic field and decrease in distance are detected, to detect that the device has changed orientation, and to select the hearing aid compatible mode in response to the detected orientation change.

10. A method performed in a portable audio device, comprising:

generating an audio output signal being one of a downlink communications signal for a call, a streaming audio signal from a remote server, or locally stored digital audio being played back, by a processor in the device executing one of a plurality of audio application programs that are stored in the device, including a telephony application and a media file player application;

detecting a change in distance of the device to an external object, by processing a proximity sensor signal over a period of time;

detecting a change in an external magnetic field, by processing a magnetic field sensor signal over the same period of time; and

selecting between a normal audio mode of operation and a hearing aid compatible mode of operation in response to simultaneously detecting over the same period of time

     1) a decrease in distance of the device to the external object, and

     2) an increase in the external magnetic field, wherein the hearing aid compatible mode is selected in response to simultaneously having detected the decrease in distance and the increase in magnetic field over the same period of time,

and wherein the audio output signal is generated according to the selected mode of operation.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the audio output signal is an audio signal that drives a speaker, the method further comprising:

filtering the magnetic field sensor signal in accordance with the audio output signal to remove interference from the speaker.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the audio output signal is for driving a speaker for acoustic coupling to a microphone of a hearing aid.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the audio output signal is for driving a telecoil for inductive coupling to a telecoil of a hearing aid.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

selecting the normal audio mode in response to simultaneously detecting a decrease in an external magnetic field and an increase in distance to an external object, wherein the detected decrease in the external magnetic field and the detected increase in distance have a bandwidth less than twenty (20) hertz.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

selecting the normal audio mode in response to simultaneously detecting a decrease in an external magnetic field and an increase in distance to an external object, and wherein the audio output signal is generated according to the selected normal audio mode for driving a speaker for acoustic coupling to a human ear.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising detecting a change in orientation of the device in said period of time, and wherein selecting between the normal audio and hearing aid compatible modes of operation is in response to simultaneously detecting that the device has changed orientation.

17. The method of claim 10 further comprising detecting a change in orientation of the device in said period of time, and wherein selecting between the normal audio and hearing aid compatible modes of operation is in response to simultaneously detecting that the device has changed orientation.

18. An article of manufacture, comprising:

a non-transitory-storage medium having stored therein instructions that program a processor, the processor being a component of a smart phone handset device, to a) receive magnetic field data from a magnetic field sensor and proximity data from a proximity sensor, b) compute a distance change from the proximity data and a magnetic field change from the magnetic field data over the same time interval, and c) select between a normal audio mode of operation and a hearing aid compatible mode of operation in response to b), wherein the hearing aid compatible mode is selected in response to the distance change being a decrease and the magnetic field change being an increase over the same time interval, and the normal audio mode is selected in response to the distance change being an increase, and

wherein the storage medium has further stored therein a plurality of audio application programs including a telephony application and a media file player application that program the processor to generate an audio output signal being one of a downlink communications signal for a call, a streaming audio signal from a remote server, or locally stored digital audio being played back, wherein the audio output signal is generated according to the selected normal audio or hearing aid compatible mode of operation.

19. The article of manufacture of claim 18, wherein the processor is to select the hearing aid compatible (HAC) mode of operation in response to determining that the device has been placed against an ear of a user with a hearing aid therein, based on having computed a simultaneous increase in magnetic field and decrease in distance, and wherein in the HAC mode the audio output signal is adapted for one of acoustic coupling to a microphone of a hearing aid and inductive coupling to a T-coil of a hearing aid.

20. The article of manufacture of claim 19, wherein the storage medium has stored therein further instructions that program the processor to receive motion data from a position, orientation or movement sensor, and analyze the received proximity, magnetic field and motion data to find that the device is moving away from the users ear but is not sufficiently far to justify a release from the HAC mode, and in response signal an increase in strength of the audio output signal.

21. The article of manufacture of claim 19, wherein the processor is to select the normal audio mode of operation in response to determining that the device has been moved away from the ear of the user with the hearing aid therein, based on having computed a simultaneous decrease in magnetic field and an increase in distance and wherein in the normal audio mode the audio output signal is adapted for acoustic coupling to a human ear.

22. The article of manufacture of claim 20, wherein the processor is to select the normal audio mode of operation in response to determining that the device has been moved away from the ear of the user with the hearing aid therein, based on having computed a simultaneous decrease in magnetic field and an increase in distance and wherein in the normal audio mode the output signal is adapted for acoustic coupling to a human ear.